Driver of stolen car killed in Uxbridge crash

Saturday

Jan 12, 2013 at 6:00 AM

A man driving a stolen Ford Explorer being pursued by police through Northbridge and Uxbridge on Route 122 Friday afternoon died on impact in a head-on collision with a Toyota pickup. “Just keep him in sight, ah, back off a little bit. We don't want anybody else, ah, killed,” one officer was heard telling the others who were pursuing the vehicle.

By Susan Spencer TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

A man driving a stolen Ford Explorer being pursued by police through Northbridge and Uxbridge on Route 122 Friday afternoon died on impact in a head-on collision with a Toyota pickup.

The crash occurred about 3:15 p.m. near 128-130 S. Main St. (Route 122), in Uxbridge, said Timothy Connolly, communications director for Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

The unidentified driver, a young man, was taken by ambulance to Milford Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Mr. Connolly said the dead man did not have any identification on him. Investigators last night were trying to determine his identity.

The driver of the Toyota, whom Mr. Connolly identified as Anthony Southwick, 30, of Uxbridge, had to be extricated from his vehicle by firefighters using the Jaws of Life, a hydraulic cutting tool. He was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus in Worcester with injuries.

Mr. Connolly said the chase began in Northbridge midafternoon when a suspicious vehicle caught the attention of police, who ran the plates and learned the SUV had been stolen in Providence. The dark green Ford Explorer had a Rhode Island registration.

Northbridge police followed the SUV south on Route 122 to the town line, where Uxbridge police picked up the chase. The SUV hit the northbound silver Toyota head-on just south of downtown. Debris from the pickup truck was scattered over the roadway.

Mr. Connolly said the SUV chased by police was driving between 30 mph and 40 mph on the busy stretch of road.

Sharon Kach, who lives at 128 S. Main St., Uxbridge, said she encountered the SUV being chased by four police cruisers while driving in Northbridge. “They passed me in Northbridge by Peterson's Gas (on Route 122). That car was flying down the street,” she said.

Ms. Kach said she saw the SUV go into the oncoming lane to pass traffic. She didn't realize it had crashed in front of her duplex until she arrived home minutes later and saw the wreckage in her driveway.

Bill Ethier of 108 N. Main St. was listening to the police scanner at home when he heard chatter about a chase coming out of the Rockdale section of Northbridge.

“As we listened to the scanner, they said the vehicle's not stopping,” Mr. Ethier said.

“As we looked out the window, we saw it flying by, probably doing 50 or so,” he said. He heard that it almost hit another car by Snowling Road, a popular cut-through between Route 16 and Route 122 near the center of town.

Scanner reports indicated police began looking for the Ford after another motorist reported it was driving erratically just after 3 p.m.

A dispatcher told police that state troopers had also been alerted by motorists and were looking for the Explorer and that the vehicle had been reported stolen.

The SUV pulled into a Cumberland Farms lot, and then headed south with a police officer following. A few minutes later, an officer radioed that the vehicle was “taking off.” The Ford headed south on Route 122 about 55 mph, not stopping for the officers who had radioed that they planned to make a “felony car stop.” The officer reported that the vehicle “almost hit a car head-on” and was driving erratically again.

“Just keep him in sight, ah, back off a little bit. We don't want anybody else, ah, killed,” one officer was heard telling the others who were pursuing the vehicle.

Another officer responded, “He's almost lost it a number of times.”

Speeds were about 35 to 40 mph, and police were trying to block the vehicle at one point, but the Ford drove on. Police asked a dispatcher to call Rhode Island and ask police there to set up with tire-deflation devices in case the vehicle crossed the state line.

There was another near-collision near the town hall seconds before an officer is heard saying, “We're going to need ambulances here ASAP,” and other officers began reporting a head-on collision and calling for hydraulic extrication tools to free the victims.

Pastor Bob Howard, Uxbridge Fire Department chaplain who was at the scene, said, “My prayers are with those guys and their families.”

Traffic was detoured while police investigated and cleared the area of the wrecked vehicles.

The district attorney's office and Uxbridge and Northbridge police are investigating the crash with the assistance of the regional accident reconstruction team.

Craig S. Semon and Kim Ring of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.

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